GregP

That's an option. I think what you'll discover is that people have given you several options, and it's up to you to pick one. Now, as a TOTAL-KNOW-NOTHING about finishing, but still being a man of some reason and common sense, I would be more tempted to go with the satin-finished clearcoat for the layer of protection it offers. No matter what paint you pick, it won't be as durable as a proper clearcoat. Greg

the mic in already HAS a pre-amp. If you didn't hear anything, it may be because it's not enabled. Also, you might want to install an ASIO driver, if you can. Is it onboard sound, or an SB card? If it's onboard, there's a good chance you can get ASIO4ALL up and running (no link, but if you Google, you'll find it), which will sort out a lot of issues though you'll still have to make sure the input itself is enabled. Greg

What a shame! I love that body shape, and I was hoping you'd take it somewhere! You gotta do what you gotta do... I'm about to inventory my non-guitar-related stuff and see what I can live without. Greg

Sorry to thread hijack, but it's slightly on-topic: What is it about the Wolfgang that you prefer to the MM Axis? I much prefer the latter as a matter of taste, but I was wondering if it was something I'm missing or if it's just the shape of the body/headstock? Greg

I'd be curious, too. I'm only 31 and my hands are killing me lately. I've only admitted it to my girlfriend because I'm a scaredy-cat that way. Greg

Somehow I missed it. Greg

It definitely matters. You cannot use it without a pre-amp. However, when people say they don't use one, what the really mean is that they're going directly into their soundcard's mic in, which DOES have a pre-amp. Greg

Additionally or alternatively, couldn't you still use a clearcoat with a matte or satin finish? So the paint would be normal flat black paint, which is still semi-shiny by itself, and then cover it with a satin clearcoat to take away any remaining 'shininess'? I'm not a finishing expert-- heck, I'm not even a finishing beginner.... but this would be my first instinct. Abrasing the clearcoat with steel wool (sounds like a lot of work, mind you) could also help produce that satin/matte look. Greg

Seems like a great and knowledgable guy. I can't help but mention that I can't stand the mismatched look between the upper and lower horns, but that's OK. Doesn't change the quality of the craftsmanship or his obvious skill and passion. Greg

What the heck is going on?

Brian's got it right. In theory you will need to lengthen the strings, because the heavier guage is more likely to pull sharp when you fret your notes. However, follow his advice that you should just intonate it as a new set-up regardless of the theory. Greg

I'll give you that. To split it even finer, though-- on a strat/hardtail style bridge, I'd find 75% to be particularly generous, considering the amount of play. I'd rather not give it that much wiggle room on a strat-style, because it's fairly often that I have my low E saddle jacked back on strat-type guitars as it is. I'm *this* close to getting a hardtail strat-type bridge for my project, too, though. I'm not convinced I'm a fan of TOM, either. The main reason I went with it was to continue with the tip of the hat to Lucille, but at the end of the day, the guitar is so different that it doesn't matter anyhow. Can't afford the Hipshot one, which leaves Mighty Mite, and I haven't found a Canadian eBayer for MM stuff yet. Greg

75% forward, really? For any string, including the high E, the saddle NEVER needs to be adjusted forward. It's compensating for pressing down on a string and pulling it sharp; so you only intonate backward from the 'scale length' (ie. 24.75" on an LP). In theory, your high E could be all the way forward; however, someone mentioned once giving a bit of wiggle room for innacurate drilling, so a millimetre or two of wiggle isn't a horrible idea; however, I'd think 75% is excessive (ie. an excessive amount of wiggle room), no? By giving your high E less wiggle room forward, you're giving your low E MORE wiggle room backward, in combination with a carefully chosen skew. On the other hand, nothing at all wrong with doing it exactly the way StewMac and other diagrams recommend. Tried and true, after all! Not sure how much wiggle room the StewMac gives you. Greg

Ditto. I've never hefted a purpleheart guitar, but I was checking it out over at the Wood Source and she's no lightweight. Greg

Something active, no? Sorry, no good recommendations. What a useless post I just made. <laff> Greg

Drak, I have chambered my body in a similar way, and I was wondering-- what approach are you going to take for the electronics? I was planning on just using the chamber as the 'cavity', but I haven't decided what to do for the cover yet. Probably just do a ledge since I've left enough wood... but the jury's still out. Love the 'trademark' horns. Greg

I am with you to a certain extent-- wood selection is not the be-all and end-all of tone; however, I'm glad that you agree now that it must have SOMETHING to do with the tone. Take two extremely similar woods and I bet I'd be hard-pressed to noticed a tonal difference, but significantly different woods will produce slightly different tones. Danelectro and Sears guitars made from MDF and plywood might sound quite pleasing, but they're also 'squonky' in a way. It's the squonkiness or crappiness that makes them valued, not the singing sustain or bloom of a note. The main other reason I wouldn't use MDF is that ultimately it's too soft. At some point in time, the screws simply won't hold. I guess if you never ever ever touch certain parts (like the bridge) there won't be any wear, but surely the prolonged pressure at the neck joint has got to give at some point in time. Greg

Safety is always a concern, especially when you have employees to worry about. The tool in question is NOT a RotoZip, however-- it is designed as a multi-purpose tool and includes a 'proper' router attachment. It has a switch to go from 30,000 rpm to 20,000 rpm. They cannot sell it as a router without it passing CSA standards, which it has. I respect a man with a head for safety, but this thing is designed to be used as a router. It works fine. Since it IS fairly light-duty, though, of course you want to remove only a bit of material at a time. Rough your shapes as close to the lines as you're comfortable with, use other tools to hog out the wood... everything else that's conventional wisdom even if you ARE using a 'dedicated' router. Greg

What's a "really" guitar? I think, if you can save the money for it, you might as well buy something decent right away. That doesn't mean super-top-of-the-line, but something that's been set up well, has the frets well dressed, doesn't buzz anywhere on the neck, and suits your personality. Neither of my electrics are expensive. I paid $450 for a Pacifica and a Little '59 to go in it. I paid $400 (list price ~$700 but I got it used) for my Godin LG. Both are awesome players. BUT, I have a friend's Mako "strat" in my posession that he handed over in the hopes that I could do something with the setup while he's in England, and it's really beyond saving without spending more on it than it's worth. It was about $200 new, and it shows. Greg

Home Depot stocks Freud bits, which have a good reputation. Was the $25 one a Freud or a generic one?

Yup. Cheapest I've seen them is about $18 CDN at Lee Valley; however, the extra $7 for something better might be $7 well spent. Greg

The router part is fabulous. It'll give you no problems. Greg

- When strings are brand new (ie. unstretched, though I rigorously stretch mine so that they're fine within 15 min) or when they get older, they don't like to stay in tune. - The nut might be 'binding' the strings in place. Overnight, they might be 'popping' into another position and binding again, which will leave them out of tune. Greg

I personally think it's because this forum is just chock full of widdly-loving longhairs. But that's just me. Only forum on the internet with Dream Theatre fans, too.

The design and wood look great!